Venezuela: NAP: An Opportunity to Improve Universal Broadband Access?

Ysabel Briceño observes that the long distance that most internet traffic must travel outside the region before returning back to the region is a problem that affects both the quality and cost of communications services in the countries of South America, including Venezuela.

As a result of this, she notes, the creation of NAPs has emerged as a solution to avoid routing local internet traffic through international channels, and as a means of improving the quality of service in terms of speed and reliability while reducing costs. But despite this regional trend, Briceño notes, Venezuela has still not succeeded in implementing plans for the creation of a NAP.

This leads her to ask: What are the factors that have impeded its development? What characteristics have intervened in the negotiating process, and under what conditions have the different actors involved formulated their demands and responses?

In responding to these questions, Briceño concludes by asking whether rapid changes in technology are generating other solutions for the problems that the creation of a NAP was initially meant to remedy.

Finally, she highlights the potential influence of the nature of interrelations and negotiations between the state and society in Venezuela on the decisions that are ultimately adopted.